Life buoys or lifesaving rings have been used for a number of years on vessels and watercraft, and at swimming or other aquatic areas as a lifesaving device. Prior art lifesaving rings typically included a flotation ring which was approximately circular in shape and had a central aperture. U.S. Pat. No. 913,617 to Busch shows such a ring buoy. The Busch ring buoy also included a lifeline, or grab line as it is usually termed, which is attached about the outer periphery of the ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,859 to Hull also shows a life ring. The Hull life ring has a main body with a specially shaped ring-like configuration. A rigid secondary ring is attached to the main body in lieu of a grab line such as shown in the Busch patent. The Hull patent is intended to provide an advantageous shape and structural combination allowing the life ring to be thrown more accurately towards the person being saved.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,342,868 to King shows a lifesaving apparatus which includes a flotation ring. The King invention includes a cord or rope wound about the ring. This cord is unwound as the ring spins through the air towards the person being saved.
Despite the advancements indicated by the patents mentioned above, there is a continuing need for a lifesaving ring or ring buoy which can be accurately thrown to a person in trouble.
It is an object of this invention to provide a lifesaving ring which can be thrown very accurately and for a greater distance by a variety of persons having a variety of hand strengths and sizes.
It is an object of this invention to provide a life ring which is economical and easy to construct.
It is an object of the invention to provide a lifesaving ring which is provided with various size gripping segments to accommodate varying hand sizes of individuals who may be throwing the lifesaving ring.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a lifesaving ring which includes varying size hand grips which are provided with color coding so that accurate throwing can occur within a minimum amount of time.
These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description given herein.